- Safiu Kehinde
Popular Nigerian clergyman, David Ibiyeomie, has come under fire over his threat to lock up a blogger.
The General Overseer of Salvation Ministries had in a now viral video warned the undisclosed blogger during a recent service.
Recall that the clergyman was earlier this years subjected to scrutiny and condemnation over his claim that Jesus don’t like the poor.
Speaking in the recent video shared on X yesterday, Ibiyeomie vowed to deal with the blogger while warning the media against pushing the story of his church.
“My type, when I go after people, the same people will come and beg. So I’m warning for the last time. Next one there will be nothing like warning.
“If you dare it young man, I know you, your father won’t beg me, I know your father too. Your mother won’t beg me because I will deal with you. When I deal with them, people will come and say why did you go like this? People are always one kind.
“Some will be against me and some will be for me. For those against me hear now. Because when I go the other way, don’t say hey how can a man of God curse people and arrest people.
“You better warn him so that when I go the other way, you won’t come back and say those man of God who now use police to arrest people. Me I will arrest you.
“I will lock you up. I don’t care. No man of God will pray for you and you will succeed. Don’t carry my news. I don’t want your news. You won’t make me popular.
“Already I’m talking to the world. Don’t carry my news- good or bad, I don’t want you to carry. Even this one don’t carry. You know what they do, they will carry it and use yo incite other bloggers.” He said.
The clergyman further accused his church members of pushing false narratives to bloggers.
“And some of you in this church, you are part of it. They will plant you in the church to listen to messages. Instead of you to stay blessed, you will now pick one thing and twist it, say what I did not say. Or pick one verse. Just one part.
“Me I don’t believe in slap me I turn here o. I don’t believe in that kind of gospel. My gospel is before you slap, I slap you.
“You better asked those who have had it with me. I will fight you o. Young man I’m warning you for the last time.” He added.
This had again attracted condemnations from netizens including social media influencers and activists.
Reacting to the development in a post on his X handle yesterday, Human Rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, expressed his disappointment with Ibiyeomie’s threat.
He held that the Pastor is amongst those de-marketing Christianity, stressing that Jesus never threatened those who criticized him.
‘I’m so disappointed in Papa David Ibiyeomie warning and threatening Nigerians not to talk or criticism him or his church else he will lock them up.
“Who are you Sir that people can’t talk about your church or criticism you?
“People criticized Jesus and He did not lock them up. And boasting about using Police to lock people up, a pastor ooo!
“These pastors are acting like unbelievers and de-marketing Christianity.
“They are the reason many people are no longer going to church.” Adeyanju wrote.
Also reacting to the clergyman’s threat was Nigerian social media influencer, Martin Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.
VDM, in a video shared on X on Wednesday, slammed the Ibiyeomie for threatening to use police to arrest and oppress the blogger.
“With all due respect Sir, I know you travel round the world. Have you ever seen anybody brag like this? Using Police to oppress people to lock up people?
“That means you are using your influence now to say you can use the Police to oppress. You can’t say this about other countries because those police will do their investigation. You can’t command police to do anything whether you are influential or not.
“But for Nigeria, you will see these kinds of things. That is why I say even the Pastors follow spoil the country.” He said.
Netizens have also taken turns to condemn the clergyman.